Fading LCD display - '98 E320
 

Has anyone else had problems with parts of the LCD for the climate control fading out? It started with the driver side temperature, where I lost one of the 7 lines that make up the numerical display of the temperature. The other day, I lost one of the triangles/ramps for fan speed. Today, I lost another triangle or two. Now it's a problem because I can't tell what speed the fan is on. Am I looking at an expensive replacement part or could this be fixed somehow - perhaps something loose behind the display? Probably just wishful thinking on my part. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

This is a '98 E320 wagon, by the way.

Thanks.

This is quite common on the '98 C series. I didn't know it affected the E series as well but they probably got the controls from the same place. There are 2 different problems with the displays:

The problem that usually occurs first (at about 5 years of age) is some of the segments start to disappear. This sounds like what you are describing.

The other problem that happens at about 10 years is the whole display starts to darken (all the segments getting dark) at one side or the bottom. *edit* This second problem affects the RADIO display not the climate control. *edit*

Assuming you have problem #1, I can tell you what I do about it and what others have said, and you can search.

What I do is just tap hard on the glass with my finger. One good whack cures it for a while, a week or so.

Some people posted that there was a loose connector inside that you could fix but I am skeptical based on my experience with LCD displays. However I have not been motivated enough to take it our and try. And now I am getting problem # 2 also.... (on the radio)

Well 5 years later I finally took my climate control apart and fixed the fading digits problem. In fact, whoever had said there was a connector you could clean was correct. The LCD display has a row of pins on it that fit into a "socket header". Getting the climate control out and apart is another matter, but once you do and you pull the LCD display out of the socket, you will be able to see little dark spots of corrosion on the pins (with magnification). I carefully scraped the corrosion off, maybe it is more like oxide than corrosion. Anyway, then I put a little silicone grease (same as dielectric grease) on the pins to hopefully ward off whatever was making them oxidize in the first place.

Put it all back together, put back in the car and works perfect now!